If You Could
by A. Minerva
Summary: Not your typical Rory and Jess road trip fic... see? The rating's just G. For now.
1. Regrets

Background info: Second season-ish. Rory and Jess are in their junior year. Dean and Rory broke up because Dean moved back to Chicago. They're over it. Just so you know, the only reason I took Dean out of the story is because here, he is superfluous. Plus, if I do decide to put Jess and Rory together, which I may not choose to do, I don't want her to have to choose between them, I want it to be only about Jess.  
  
Jess and Rory are friends. The car crash hasn't happened. I guess it's around right before the car crash. I'm a lit, but right now, this isn't about the romance. I may choose to build that up later, but I have so much more fun making Jess flirt with Rory just to see her squirm. Anyways, that's the background. Enjoy!  
  
----  
  
Rory was sitting at a table in the diner, studying for her last final before spring break. Jess was hovering, coffee pot in hand, reading over her shoulder.  
  
"You know," Rory said, without looking up from the page, "I'm sure you have just as interesting a history book. You could be reading yours, and getting good grades while doing it."  
  
"Are you incinuating?" Jess asked, pouring coffee into Rory's half full cup, a look of mock hurt on his face. Rory sighed and turned to look over her shoulder at him.  
  
"Yes. Now go away. I hate when people read over my shoulder." She looked back down at her book.  
  
"I know."  
  
Rory rolled her eyes and closed the book, placing it on the table. She turned to look at Jess again. "Happy?"  
  
Jess answered with a kind of smirk which melted into a half smile.  
  
"What? What do you want? Why are you hovering?" Rory asked, faking exasperation through the laughs she was trying to hide.  
  
"Can't a waiter stand over a customer, making sure that her coffee cup never empties?"  
  
"What do you really want, Jess?"  
  
"I want to go to Chuck Bibliophile's. In Hartford."  
  
"Then go." Rory reached for her book again. Jess put his hand over hers.  
  
"Come. Keep me company."  
  
"I went with you last week. Besides, I need to study."  
  
"Study later."  
  
"Jess, this is my junior year."  
  
"So?"  
  
"So?" Rory laughed. "So, I need to do well."  
  
"You will."  
  
"Only if I study."  
  
"You always do well."  
  
"At the risk of sounding redundant: Only if I study."  
  
"Come on. You know that stuff backwards and forwards." Rory rolled her eyes.  
  
"OK. Here's what we do." Jess circled the table to sit across from Rory and put the coffee pot down. "You come to Hartford with me. We go to Chuck's. We get lunch. We come back. And then... I quiz you for your test."  
  
"Well..."  
  
"It's a good offer. You'll never see another like it."  
  
"Fine. We'll be back early, right?"  
  
"By three."  
  
Rory stood, gathering her notes. "And then you'll help me study?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
She paused. "Promise?"  
  
"Swear on my life." He raised a hand in the air for emphasis.  
  
"All right. Let's go. God, you're a worse bibliophile than I am."  
  
"This from the best. I'm flattered."  
  
They got in the car and started for Hartford. They didn't say much: Rory was buried in her notes and Jess was concentrating on the road. Suddenly, Jess moved to speak. "Rory?"  
  
"Yuh-hunh?"  
  
"Do you have any regrets?"  
  
Rory looked up. "About what?"  
  
"Anything. Life in general."  
  
"That's a random question." Rory looked back down at her notes. Jess didn't pursue the line of conversation. They arrived in front of Chuck's and walked in.  
  
Chuck's had become a favorite place of the friends'. They would come in and browse for hours, looking for new books or cool copies or editions of ones they had already read. Chuck was a genius when it came to books. Sometimes, Jess would try to come up with an obscure title, but Chuck could always identify the author and a small blurb about it. Anything you wanted, you could order, but that sort of took the spontenaity out of browsing. If they had wanted to order something, why not just surf Amazon? Usually, Jess and Rory would just stop by and browse, looking at all of the titles.  
  
Rory was looking at a few books, Jack Kerouac's, Sharon Creech's, and suddenly realized something.  
  
"A road trip."  
  
"What?" Jess asked.  
  
"Kap Stann." Chuck said, passing on his way upstairs.  
  
"No, no. I mean, before, in the car, you asked me if I regretted anything. I regret that I've never taken a bona fide road trip. I mean, mom and I have gone on driving trips, but I mean, one of those ones where you don't know where you're going, and you stay in bad motels and eat in bad diners and just drive from city to city until you decide to come back."  
  
"You want to take a road trip?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"You, Rory Gilmore, want to take a real road trip?" Jess leaned back against a book shelf and looked amused.  
  
"Forget it." Rory turned back to the shelf she had been looking at.  
  
He came closer, hovering over her shoulder. "Wait, so you'd eat in Denny's?"  
  
"I said forget it." Rory walked over to another shelf.  
  
Jess followed her, sounding more and more amused. "You would sleep in a bed with bad springs? That smells like feet?"  
  
"I told you to forget it!"  
  
"Fine, fine." Jess stood back and watched her look through the books aggressively. "Oh, the open road," Jess breathed. He dodged a copy of War and Peace. Hardcover edition. With extra notes in the back. He caught it and replaced it, smiling. She would pick a heavy book. 


	2. Bona Fide

Yes, yes, before you storm my inbox with torches and tar and feathers or simply boycott my stories, I AM aware that the Rory Jess road trip is extremely cliche. Rory and Jess can't stand each other or are "just friends" and go on a road trip together and fall in love and get married (oh, and don't get mad at me, people who write those, because I'm a junkie for them).  
  
Look, basically, I wanted to read an original Rory road trip story. I'm responding to my own challenge to write a road trip story with a twist. Something original that blossoms out of this cliche idea. Now, I have none of this written yet, so you're going to need to let me know how I'm doing on this. I don't want to tarnish my reputation, and I don't want to make you read crap. So PLEASE, let me know what you think. I'm going to keep writing it, because I enjoy it, so writing "YOU SUCK, STOP WRITING THIS STORY" isn't going to get results. Just click the little back button and then go read something better. However, if you enjoy it or think that it has potential but have some ideas or critiques, feel free to let me know.  
  
-Thena  
  
-----  
  
"Please put your pencils down." Rory placed her pencil on her desk and stretched. She had finished her history exam with time to spare, enough time to check the entire thing twice. She was fairly confident that she had done a good job. Nothing she could do about it now, she thought, as she handed it to her teacher, it was over.  
  
She walked into the hall and packed her backpack. She didn't have too much homework over the break, but she wanted to take all of her books in case she suddenly felt the desire to study something. She doubted it.  
  
She took the bus home and wandered into Luke's. "Hey Luke."  
  
"Hey Rory. How was school?"  
  
"Oh, good. It's over. Last final. I'm on break."  
  
"Well, good for you! Can I get you anything?"  
  
"Yeah, I'll have... fries... make those cheese fries. And coffee."  
  
"Of course. Jess!"  
  
"Got it covered." Jess grabbed a mug off the shelf and placed it in front of Rory. "How was your last final?"  
  
"You know, if you think about it, last final is kind of redundant. You know. It's like saying, 'final final'." Jess raised his eyebrows as Rory said this all very fast.  
  
"It was good," Rory said in a small voice, with a slight smile. Jess just raised his eyebrows and walked off again.  
  
"Hey Rory!"  
  
"Hey Mom!"  
  
"How was your last final? Hey you know what's funny? Saying last final is kind of redundant. You know. It's like saying, 'final final'."  
  
Luke and Jess looked at each other, and then just looked away, both confused and amused.  
  
"What?" Lorelai asked.  
  
*****  
  
Rory was sitting on her bed flipping through her CD case, reorganizing them all. She could never decide if she wanted them in order of artist or genre. Today it was artist. She put a Floyd CD in her player and sat back down on her bed, tapping her foot in time to the music.  
  
*Tap* *Tap* *Tap*  
  
What was that? She stopped tapping her foot, even though she had been tapping it on the soft comforter and hadn't been making any noise.  
  
*Tap* *Tap* *Tap*  
  
Was it her CD? Damn, if her mom had scratched her CD again... She got up and turned off the player.  
  
*Tap* *Tap* *Tap*  
  
She looked over to the window, half knowing what she was going to see. She lifted the window opened and looked down at Jess.  
  
"Hey," she said.  
  
"Hey. So, whatcha doing?"  
  
"Organizing my CDs. What are you doing? Taking a walk?"  
  
"No, I came to pick you up."  
  
"What for?"  
  
"Your 100% bona fide road trip." 


	3. The Beginning

She looked over to the window, half knowing what she was going to see. She lifted the window opened and looked down at Jess.  
  
"Hey," she said.  
  
"Hey. So, whatcha doing?"  
  
"Organizing my CDs. What are you doing? Taking a walk?"  
  
"No, I came to pick you up."  
  
"What for?"  
  
"Your 100% bona fide road trip."  
  
"My what?"  
  
"You said you wanted to go on a road trip. I'm your ride."  
  
"Jess, stop being silly. You're making fun of me." She sat back down on the bed.  
  
"I'm not being silly. I'm not making fun of you. I'm being serious." He stepped to the side so she could come out the window to join him. She stayed where she was on her bed.  
  
"But. . . but. . . there was no plan!"  
  
"Rory," he said patronizingly, slowly, as if he were speaking to a small child or someone who didn't speak English well. He reached for the half- opened window, opened it, and hoisted himself in, "I'm sorry, may I?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Look. The whole point of the road trip that you described is the spontenaity." He gestured to himself and to the car outside. "Spontenaity."  
  
"But, I'm only on spring break. If we wait until summer, we'll have more time! We'll have time to plan, to find road maps. . ."  
  
Jess nodded. "As you wish," Jess sais with a half smile. His smile looked dejected, but not surprised as he turned back to the opened window.  
  
"I'll see you around," he said to Rory, who was still sitting on her bed. He put one foot out the window and prepared to jump to the ground.  
  
"Give me ten minutes to pack."  
  
Now he looked surprised. 


	4. If You Could Go Anywhere Right Now

_  
  
If you could go anywhere right now,  
Where would you go,  
And would you miss me when you get there.  
There's no place that I would rather be.  
Please don't let me, go falling from the sky,  
This fasten seatbelt sign just needs to go out.  
If only you could be, right here by my side,  
Home wouldn't seem so far from here._  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Jess was sitting on Rory's bed as she threw things into a large duffel bag.  
  
How much do I pack? she asked.  
  
Eh. . . whatever. Enough.  
  
But for how long?  
  
Jess raised his eyebrows.  
  
Never mind, she muttered, stupid question.  
  
Jess picked up one of Rory's books and began reading, and Rory continued throwing things into her bag. What else, what else. . . she muttered, looking around her room. She noticed Jess holding her book and plucked it out of his hands, shoving it in her bag and zipping it. he said, indignantly.  
  
  
  
Jess vaulted himself out of the window and waited, arms outstretched for Rory's bag. She stood over the window, poised to throw it out. Jess watched as suddenly the smile that had been gracing her face turned to a frown.  
  
What do I tell my mom?  
  
Jess suggested.  
  
What did you tell Luke?  
  
Nothing. . .  
  
One second. She put her bag down and walked over to her desk, pulling out a sheet of paper and writing a short note to her mother. She left it on her bed and then tossed the bag out the window.  
  
I can't believe I'm doing this. . . she said, under her breath, as she climbed out of the window using Jess' hand for support and then landed. She reached up to close the window behind her and then followed him to the car.  
  
They climbed in and Jess started down the road.  
  
Where are we going? Rory asked after a while.  
  
Jess shrugged. Dunno. If you could go anywhere right now, where would you go?  
  
Rory paused. I. . . Boston? she suggested.  
  
Hmm. . .  
  
No good?  
  
Pick somewhere farther.  
  
Farther than Boston?  
  
Yeah, somewhere we couldn't get today.  
  
Rory looked out the window and watched the landscape as it passed. She usually liked the spring, but this year it wasn't coming fast enough. The snow she loved in December was littering the ground, and all she wanted was for the green grass to arrive, and with it the warm weather of early summer.  
  
  
  
Jess asked, startled.  
  
  
  
As you wish.


	5. The First Stop

_If you could go anywhere right now,  
Where would you go,  
And would you miss me when you get there.  
There's no place that I would rather be.  
Please don't let me, go falling from the sky,  
This fasten seatbelt sign just needs to go out.  
If only you could be, right here by my side,  
Home wouldn't seem so far from here._  
  
  
  
  
Jess had been driving for a long time. The late afternoon sun had long set, and it was now pitch black. Rory had been drifting in and out of sleep, and she now had no clue where she was or what time it was. She didn't think to ask.  
  
She hugged her knees to her chest. Maybe this had been a bad idea? She was already beginning to miss Lorelai, and Jess was being silent as he often was. She wanted to read, but she didn't want to ask Jess if she could turn on the light.  
  
One problem was that she was finally realizing how little she actually knew Jess. Sure, they were friends, but what did she really know about him besides his extensive tastes in music and literature?  
  
This was so unlike her. No matter how hard she had tried over the years to be like Lorelai, she had found that in one aspect of her life she was exactly like her grandmother, the one woman Lorelai had never wanted to be. Rory and Emily both liked things planned. They liked to know what was going on. So what was she doing here?  
  
She hugged her knees a little closer. She glanced again at the dashboard, though she knew that there was no clock there like there was in the Jeep. Jess must have noticed her move, because he turned to look at her. She wished he would look back at the road. People who drove with their eyes off the road made her nervous.  
  
Hey, sleeping beauty, he said.  
  
she asked, startled out of her reverie.  
  
You've been sleeping for almost two hours.  
  
Oh yeah?  
  
Yeah. I almost woke you up. You want to stop soon?  
  
she was getting hungry, but for some reason she didn't want to tell Jess. She didn't need to,  
  
Come on Rory. You come into the diner at least once a day. I know your eating habits.  
  
As if on cue, her stomach gave a loud grumble. Rory felt all the blood rush to her face. At least it was dark..  
  
So we've reached a consensus, Jess said. Rory could hear the smile in his voice.  
  
They drove for a few minutes more before they saw a sign for a rest stop coming up. Jess pulled up and they walked inside. McDonald's, Hot Dogs, or Cinnabun?  
  
Cinnabun coffee and then McDonald's I guess for me, Rory said walking over to the Cinnabun. Jess followed her and they stood on line together.  
  
So... how's this so far for your dream road trip?  
  
It was then that Rory realized that Jess was really going through all this trouble for her. It's great, she said, smiling.  
  
Good. You were so quiet in the car... I wasn't sure.  
  
So? I can be quiet without being upset...  
  
Jess lifted an eyebrow. Please. Between you and your mother, no one else can ever get a word in edgewise.  
  
OK. So maybe I was a little nervous, Rory conceded, But this is going to be fun, right?  
  
Jess offered only his signature half-smile as an answer, and then the two placed their orders: coffee for both.  
  
I don't think I've ever seen you drink coffee, Rory commented as they sipped and walked over to the McDonald's.   
  
I don't, usually. But I need to stay awake.  
  
Are we driving all night? Rory asked.  
  
No, there's a Motel 6 a few exits down.  
  
  
  
They placed their McDonald's orders and picked them up. They chose a table and sat down. Rory pulled her Big Mac out of the bag, and Jess got his sandwich. Rory ripped the bag opened so that it lay flat, and then poured her container of fries on the bag, putting her ketchup on the now empty fry container and mixing salt and pepper dip next to it.  
  
The two ate in silence for a few moments and then Rory asked Jess, Where are we, exactly?  
  
Jess laughed. Haven't you been paying any attention at all?  
  
I was sleeping! Rory defended herself.  
  
We're on the 95, about to hit White Plains.  
  
White Plains?  
  
New York.  
  
We're in New York?  
  
Not quite. I figured we'd stop once we got to New York though. A little outside of White Plains.  
  
So soon then?  
  
Yeah, is that OK?  
  
Rory was quiet for a moment.  
  
Something wrong? Jess asked.  
  
No... I just...  
  
  
  
You're going to think I'm being stupid.  
  
Try me.  
  
Can we stop at the boarder of Connecticut and New York and stand over it. You know, be two places at once?  
  
Jess smiled.  
  
See, I knew you were going to laugh at me, Rory said, crossing her arms angrily over her chest.  
  
Sure we can. If you give me your last fry...


	6. White Plains

_If you could go anywhere right now,  
Where would you go,  
And would you miss me when you get there.  
There's no place that I would rather be.  
Please don't let me, go falling from the sky,  
This fasten seatbelt sign just needs to go out.  
If only you could be, right here by my side,  
Home wouldn't seem so far from here.  
  
_After they had finished eating, they walked over to the pharmacy-type store that the complex had. Rory browsed the magazines and picked one. She walked over to pay for it, and picked up a pack of gum too. As the cashier was ringing her up, she reached over and snagged a cigarette lighter with written on it in white. Sorry, this too, she said, putting it on the counter.  
  
the cashier said, adding it to the total and giving Rory a receipt and her change.  
  
Jess asked.  
  
she answered.  
  
They walked out into the parking lot. Jess began to drive on the same highway as before, except this time they talked. Rory wasn't so nervous anymore. The only thing that DID make her nervous was the fact that Lorelai hadn't called yet. She pulled her cell-phone out of her pocket. She had service... Lorelai must have had a date or something.  
  
As the sign stating You are now entering New York, appeared, Rory was afraid that Jess would have forgotten her childish request, but he illegally pulled onto the shoulder, turned on his hazards, and they got out of the car. Rory walked over to the sign.  
  
I'm in Connecticut, she announced, And now I'm in New York. She jumped back over. And again. New York.  
  
Have you lost your mind? Jess asked, leaning up against the hood of his car, watching Rory. she said, standing on the New York side, I left it in Connecticut! She leaned over the state line so that her body was in New York, but her mind, as she said, was in Connecticut.  
  
My left foot walked out on my right foot! she shouted. My left foot is in Connecticut, but my right foot is in New York!  
  
Jess laughed. Suddenly, Rory saw police lights coming. She ran over to Jess. Did we do something wrong? she asked.  
  
Don't say anything, he muttered. She stayed standing near him.  
  
The car pulled up next to the stopped car and braked. An officer got out of the front seat and walked over to them.  
  
Evening officer, Jess said.  
  
May I ask what you are doing?  
  
There was a deer, Jess said, as if that explained it all. Rory just stood there.  
  
A deer? The officer asked.  
  
Yeah. There was this deer over on this side of the road, and it just sort of stopped, half in the first lane and half out.  
  
That still does not explain why you are illegally stopped on the shoulder.  
  
Well, I thought it would get out of my way, but it just stood there, so I pulled over behind it so that I wouldn't hit it, and then we got out of the car to scare it back into the woods.  
  
And you are still stopped because?  
  
We were just leaving.  
  
The officer didn't really seem to believe Jess' story, but he had no reason to doubt him, so the officer got back into his car, and Jess and Rory got back into Jess'.  
  
Jess rolled down the window and called out politely, Night officer.  
  
Stay on the road, young man.  
  
Yes, sir, I will sir.  
  
After the cop car was out of sight, Jess started to laugh. Rory asked, What's so funny?  
  
I... I just lied to a cop.  
  
Rory asked.  
  
I was nice about it. That's a first for me.  
  
Rory started to giggle as she remembered how out of character and polite Jess had been.  
  
she said, We stopping soon?  
  
Yeah, right up here.  
  
Five seconds later, a sign for the Motel appeared. Jess pulled off and pulled the car into the parking lot. Grab your bag, he said, taking his own, Don't leave anything valuable in the car.  
  
Rory said, pulling her bag out and stuffing her cell phone back in her pocket. Jess locked the door and then turned to face Rory. He frowned. Let your hair down, he said after a few seconds.  
  
Rory asked.  
  
It makes you look older.  
  
  
  
So... You're a minor.  
  
  
  
And I'm 18.  
  
  
  
So I'm breaking the law.  
  
  
  
Taking a minor out of the state is a crime.  
  
Rory trailed off and looked at him with large eyes.   
  
Don't worry, he said, It'll be fine. Just take your hair down.  
  
Rory obeyed. Jess looked at her for another moment. Slouch a little when we go in there. And don't say anything. Oh, and here. He handed her his leather jacket, which she put on.  
  
No, no, he corrected, Just drape it over your shoulders.   
  
Like this?  
  
Yeah. Now, just play along. He took Rory's bag from her and they walked into the Motel.  
  
One room, he said at the desk, draping his arm over Rory. She understood now what he meant by play along'. She leaned into him a bit.  
  
The person there glanced from him to Rory and back. Cash or credit?  
  
Jess handed the person the amount. As he received his change, they both noticed the look they were getting that told them their act wasn't believable. Let's go up, babe, Rory said, snaking her arm around Jess' back.  
  
Yeah. Thanks, he said in the direction of the desk, and the two walked to their room. As soon as they had rounded the hall, they began to laugh.  
  
Jess started, laughing, I never expected...  
  
Did I do good? Rory asked, playing dumb.  
  
Damn straight, Jess answered. Rory curtseyed.  
  
They got to the room and Jess unlocked the door. The first thing that Rory noticed was that there were two beds. Jess walked in in front of her and set their bags on the floor.  
  
Something wrong? Jess asked.  
  
No... I mean... why are there two beds?  
  
Jess raised his eyebrows at her. Well well Miss Gilmore. I had _no _idea you felt that way.  
  
No! I mean... it's just... she sputtered. Our act. Wouldn't she assume...  
  
These kinds of places sometimes have twin beds that push together so they don't have to have half two bed rooms and half one bed rooms. He paused. Of course, at the rate you're going, we could have gotten the room with the water bed and the jacuzzi shaped like a heart.  
  
No! I didn't... Jess... I mean... she was turning beet red as she tried to explain.  
  
Rory! Rory! Relax. I was teasing. Window or door?  
  
Window I guess, she said, taking the window bed and sitting on it.  
  
Suddenly, her phone rang. She looked at the caller-id even though she knew who it was. Lorelai.


	7. Lorelai

Window I guess, she said, taking the window bed and sitting on it.  
  
Suddenly, her phone rang. She looked at the caller-id even though she knew who it was. Lorelai.  
  
She looked up at Jess. He looked at her. It's my mom.  
  
So... answer it.  
  
She'll be mad.  
  
She'll be madder if you don't answer.  
  
Rory nodded. Jess was right.   
  
Rory could hear the edge in her mother's voice.  
  
  
  
Oh! Thank God you're all right! Luke, she's all right!  
  
Yeah. I'm fine.  
  
Now, young lady, you will explain this note.  
  
What note? Rory asked.  
  
I don't think this is funny. Mom- I'm going on a road trip. Don't know when I'll be back. I have my phone. -Rory.' I've done better than that, Lorelai added.  
  
I'm sorry... I wasn't thinking-  
  
Damn right you weren't thinking! Where are you?  
  
Outside of White Plains...  
  
New York?  
  
  
  
You're with Jess. It wasn't a question, but Rory answered anyway.  
  
  
  
  
  
We wanted to go on a road trip.  
  
  
  
Mom, we're fine.  
  
Look... next time you do something like this... I need to know where you are. All the time. When you scare me like this... it makes me age.  
  
I'm sorry.  
  
Well you can just pay for my Botox when I'm forty.  
  
I'm sorry.  
  
Oh sweetie... I know how you feel. God knows I know how you feel. I always wanted to do something like what you're doing right now. But you don't know Jess all that well. And, as much as I hate to admit it, you're sheltered. Sweetie, just be careful, OK?  
  
We're not doing anything stupid. We're just having fun.  
  
Tell her I'm going to pummel him. Where are they? Rory could hear Luke's voice in the background.  
  
White Plains, Lorelai answered.  
  
I'm going to get them, he said.  
  
both Lorelai and Rory spoke at the same time.  
  
They can stay, Lorelai said.  
  
Like hell they can! Luke said.  
  
Do what you want with Jess, but Rory can stay if she wants to, Lorelai finished.  
  
There was a pause. He can stay. But only so that he can take care of Rory!  
  
I need to talk to Jess, Lorelai said, finally talking to Rory again. Rory hesitated, then covered the mouthpiece of her cell. My mom wants to talk to you, she said to Jess. He exhaled a bit of smoke and put out the cigarette he had been smoking in the ashtray. He reached over and took the phone.  
  
Hello?... It's so nice to talk to you too Lorelai... Yeah... Yeah... Yeah... I know... Yeah... Lovely speaking with you. He handed the phone back to Rory and then lit another cigarette.  
  
  
  
I am calling you tomorrow at this time. Your phone will be on. If it is not on or if you do not pick up the phone, I will call once more. If you still haven't picked up, I will call the police, sue Jess- There was a pause, OK, scratch the suing, Luke will bash his head in with a crowbar...  
  
I understand, Mom.  
  
Good. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Same time.  
  
Different place.  
  
Bye, Rory. I love you. Make this trip worth it.  
  
I will. She hung up the phone and turned to look at Jess. He stood from where he had been sitting with his back against the wall.  
  
So... what now? she asked.  
  
Your call. It's your road trip.


	8. The First Night

"Your call... it's your road trip."

Rory nodded and thought. She actually really wanted to sleep... but she thought that seemed silly. She was young, out and about, in a town she'd never seen before... well, not really a town. More like an interstate motel, but... shouldn't she want to go out and do... something? The question was, what was there to do?

"I don't know... what can we do?"

"Honestly? Probably not too much here."

"Can we... can we sleep for now, and then get up tomorrow and go to the city?"

"New York City?"

"Yeah... you can show me the sights... visit your mom..."

"I'll show you the sights."

"Jess..."

Jess ignored her. "If we're gonna get up early tomorrow, we might as well go to sleep."

"Jess..."

"You can change in the bathroom." He layed down on the bed he had chosen with all of his clothes on. Rory sighed and grabbed some pajamas out of her bag. She walked into the small bathroom and changed, brushed her teeth, and pulled her hair back from her face. When she went back into the room, the ceiling light was off, and the only light that remained in the room came from the small lamp on the table between the two beds. She looked over at Jess, who was writing in a battered paperback that she recognized as one of her own.

"You went through my stuff?"

"I wasn't in the mood for my book."

"What was your book?"

Still staring at the page he was reading, he grabbed another book from next to him and tossed it over to Rory. "Please Kill Me: The Oral History of the Punk Movement."

"It's good. You can borrow it if you want."

"Thanks." Rory got into her own bed and opened the book. The two lay silently for a little while. After a few pages, Rory layed the book down on the table.

"Do you want to sleep? Cause I can go out to the car and read..." Jess asked.

"No, no. Don't worry. I can sleep with the lights on."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"OK."

They were silent for a few more minutes, and then Rory spoke. "Jess? Why don't you want to see your mom."

"Night, Rory."

"Is it because she sent you to live with Luke? Because she was only thinking of you when she did that." Jess didn't say anything. "And look at how good your life is now. You have Luke, you're doing better in school, Taylor has almost stopped hating you..."

"The life that every hoodlum dreams of. Relocation to smalltown USA."

Rory was silent. Quietly, she rolled over so that she was facing away from Jess.

"Rory? Rory, I'm sorry."

"Whatever."

"I'm not mad at my mom. We wouldn't have anything to talk about. We didn't have anything to talk about even when I lived there. Besides, I'd rather just show you around."

"OK."

Jess read for a few more moments, and then he got up. "I'm going for a walk."

Rory sat up. "What? Where?"

"Just around. Lock the door behind me, OK? I'm taking the key." He grabbed the key off the table and turned the lamp off. Rory followed him to the door and locked it quickly after him. She ran back over to her bed and jumped in, pulling the covers up to her chin, but she couldn't close her eyes. Slowly, she sat back up and turned the lamp on. She walked over to the window and looked out; Jess was standing out by a lamp, smoking and staring off into space. It had started to rain slightly: she could see the mist close to the light. She sat there for a few minutes, watching him, and then she finally went back over to her own bed and began to read the notes that Jess had put in her book.


End file.
